Issue(s): Cat #2
Cover Date: Jan 73
Title: "The Owl and the pussycat"
Credits:
Linda Fite - Writer
Marie Severin - Penciler
Jim Mooney - Inker

Review/plot:
The Owl is building a knowledge base by sucking the brains of the world's most intelligent people.

He sends his henchmen after Dr. Tumolo, who it turns out is not dead but unconscious at Chicago's hospital. The henchmen pretends to be Tumolo's nephew. Tumolo is able to communicate with the Cat telepathically while she's in the coma. She warns the Cat that the henchmen isn't her nephew, and the Cat eventually encounters the Owl. The Cat rescues Tumolo, but the Owl escapes.

Greer does a very bad job of maintaining a secret identity while fighting the Owl, letting herself get captured as Greer Nelson and then sneaking off to change into her costume. The issue end with the implication that Tumolo's brain has been damaged. Interesting to see a character not be able to completely save the day, but a shame that it had to be one of Marvel's few female leads to use that twist with.

This issue wastes about 4 pages recapping last issue. Odd.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

The title "The Owl and the Pussycat" is originally from an 1871 poem by Edward Lear. The same title was also used for a 1970 movie starring Barbra Streisand and George Segal.

The events in this issue happened the same night and the next day after issue #1. Greer was drawn to the hospital after disposing of Donalbain and his gang. After checking on Dr. Tumolo (who, surprise! is still alive), she went home to sleep. The next day she returned to the hospital and followed when the doctor was kidnapped.
Hope this helps!

Thanks Darci. I had some doubts about this issue having to take place on the same night at first. It seemed like it could be that Cat was just discovering that Dr. Tumolo was in intensive care after a period of time where she thought she was dead. But then the Cat says that she's been awake for 24 hours, so that confirms that it is the same night. So i've pushed this back to be close to issue #1.